Two dead after Nio car falls from third floor of headquarters building in Shanghai during test drive
- Crash is likely to spark a new wave of concern about the safety of intelligent EVs
- Nio says the testing staff included one of its employees and a technician from one of its partners
They lost control of the car in a parking area in Shanghai Automotive Innovation Port in Anting, Jiading district, before the car smashed windows and fell to the ground, according to state-owned Shanghai Television.
Nio confirmed the accident on Thursday evening and said the testing staff included one of its employees and a technician from one of its partners, without elaborating further. No flaws involving the test vehicle had been found in initial investigations, it added.
The crash is likely to spark a new wave of concern about the safety of intelligent EVs that feature autonomous driving technology.
“Any fatal accident involving a smart EV can stoke fears about the safety of the vehicles,” said Gao Shen, an independent analyst in Shanghai. “Many consumers keen on owning an electric car may postpone their purchase decisions until carmakers and the police can prove that the deaths were not caused by immature technology.”
A personal familiar with the situation at Nio, who declined to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media, said the police were investigating the case. One of the two staff died soon after they were taken to a hospital nearby, and the other died on Thursday morning after surgery, Shanghai Television said.
